Great for washing your face, terrible for marine environments: it's microplastics. They may be little, but they are a massive problem.
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| Microplastics: admittedly quite pretty, but definitely deadly. Source. |
Microplastics (<5mm) have become an increasingly common ingredient in toiletries such as facial cleansers and toothpaste. They are often called 'micro-beads' by the toiletries industry and praised for
"exfoliating skin and clearing out pores". The average consumer ends up using microplastics on a daily basis. There's a
few reasons why these tiny pieces of plastic are seriously bad news:
- Microplastics are too small to be caught by wastewater screens, so they go directly into our oceans ...
- ... but they're plenty small enough to be easily consumed by small marine animals, such as filter feeders, which can starve from satiation, reduced food consumption or intestinal blockages
- They then have the potential to pass up the food chain and accumulate
- Smaller pieces means a bigger surface area, which means more potential for binding and up-taking of toxic contaminants
They're in our oceans and they're in our rivers too. In a study from earlier this week it was found that the
Rhine has the highest levels of microplastic pollution in any recorded river, transporting an unbelievable 191 million plastic particles every single day! Microplastics are bad for you as well our waterways. Microplastics in toothpastes can end up
embedding plastic in your gums.... Definitely count me out!
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| Plastic in my toothpaste? No thanks! Source. |
However, not all hope is lost! As consumers, we can all make an effort to avoid products containing microplastics. What's more, major toiletry brands such as
L'Oreal and Johnson have made commitments to phase out microplastics and replace them with natural alternatives. Even more encouragingly,
laws are beginning to be drawn up which will ban microplastics. Addressing the issue of microplastics rapidly and effectively is a win for ocean conservation!
Hi Lucy, really interesting post!
ReplyDeleteI actually feel quite guilty reading this, as I am a religious user of facial cleansers containing these microplastics and (I like to think) reap the benefits from it...
However your post puts my morning routine into a much larger perspective worrying me on two levels: 1) my contribution to plastic pollution in the oceans and 2) the fact that plastic could be embedded in my gums!
I think it's encouraging to see brands phasing out their use of microplastics, however what do you think could be implemented to curb public desire and use of such products, because they're a rather large part of our daily lives?
Great post!
Hi Caitlin! Thanks for your comment!
DeleteWell, in terms of curbing public desire, the new laws and legislations will definitely help. Furthermore, consumers won't have to stop using the products which used to contain microplastics. The microplastics can be replaced by natural exfoliators such as pumice, walnut, and oatmeal husks. So, there is no need to stop using facial cleansers altogether, just make a switch away from products with microplastics to those with natural ingredients!
Hi Lucy! I really enjoyed reading this post. The issue of microplastics does worry me, particularly because consumers - including me- often unknowingly purchase toiletries containing them. For this reason, do you think education has a role to play in reducing the problem? I've also heard of some pretty snazzy initiatives, such as apps which allow you to screen bottles and containers in the shop to see if they contain microplastics!
ReplyDeleteHi Shruti! Thanks very much for your comment!
DeleteI think microplastics are particularly concerning because many people are simply unaware that there is plastic in the products they are buying, especially as they would be listed as polypropylene, polyethylene or something similar. I certainly had no idea about microplastics until a few months ago. So yes, I agree with you that public education does have a really important role to play here. The app sounds like a really good idea! I think you might be referring to one called 'Beat the Microbead' released in connection with the Marine Conservation Society. It is great to see initiatives like this, and hopefully they are making a difference to public education!